Power Series: Women of Influence in Commercial Real Estate

The company was founded and is owned by Sarah E. Peck who has over 30 years of experience in homebuilding and real estate development. Prior to forming Progressive Housing Ventures, Ms. Peck was President and CEO for 15 years of Rouse/Chamberlin Homes in Exton, PA. Under her leadership, the company built close to 2000 homes in more than 20 communities in the Philadelphia suburbs and gained a national reputation for its corporate mission: building communities in a social — not just physical — sense. As a result of the company’s progressive approach to the homebuilding business as well as it’s financial success, Ms. Peck was named “National Builder of the Year” by Professional Builder Magazine (pdf) and the company was named “America’s Best Builder” by Builder Magazine and the National Association of Homebuilders Sarah Peck writes and speaks on the subject of infill housing development and its growing acceptance in suburban communities. She has been a contributing author to the Urban Land Institute and the Tri-State Real Estate Journal and an Adjunct Professor at West Chester University. She has served as a Director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh. She co-founded the Housing Partnership of Chester County as well as Commercial Real Estate Women-Philadelphia and serves on several civic and professional boards. She has a B.A. degree from Yale University and a M.Sc. degree from the London School of Economics.

Karen is a Principal at SITIO architecture + urbanism where she is focused on delivering design excellence to multifaceted projects. Her vast experience ranges in scale and typology – she is fully engrossed as an architect and urban designer on civic and cultural, residential, educational and mixed-use projects. Karen’s commitment to design and the profession has resulted in numerous project design awards as well as being presented the AIA Philadelphia Young Architect award. Karen is the 2017 President-Elect of AIA Philadelphia, Co-Chair of the AIA Philadelphia Women In Architecture Committee, and currently sits on the AIA Philadelphia Board of Directors and their Executive Committee. In addition, she serves her community on the Board of Directors with the Fairmount Community Development Corporation. As a graduate from Philadelphia University, Karen has stayed connected with the University as an adjunct faculty member and now sits on the College of Architecture and the Built Environment Advancement Council as well as their Lab for Urban and Social Innovation Board.

Alesa is the founding principal at Design Moxie architecture + planning, a highly collaborative practice focusing on the intersection of strategic planning, design excellence, and sustainability. As an architect and planner, Alesa keenly pairs her design abilities, collaborative nature, and strategist mindset to create highly impactful design solutions that support a client’s immediate needs and long-term aspirations. She possesses extensive expertise in various project types including educational, civic, corporate, residential, and sustainable design + planning. In addition, she is a highly skilled space programmer/planner, stakeholder facilitator, and campus planner. Alesa holds a Master of Architecture in sustainable design from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a LEED Accredited Professional since 2004. In addition, she has led the development of green operations plans, and participates in AIA’s 2030 Commitment, a program that strives for carbon neutrality for architecture firms by the year 2030. While at UT she collaborated directly with Pliny Fisk, III the co-founder of the Center of Maximum Potential Building Systems and completed in the first Solar Decathlon, a collegiate solar powered, design-build competition hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy. Alesa currently teaches an advanced design studio focused on system ecology of campus and architecture at Philadelphia University’s College of Architecture and the Built Environment and serves on the College’s Advancement Council.  In her free time, Alesa enjoys volunteering with numerous organizations in Philadelphia. She currently serves as a member of the AIA Philadelphia Board of Directors, leads the AIA Philadelphia Women in Architecture Committee as co-chair, and recently founded PATINA (Philadelphia Teaches Innovation Networking + Agency) Mentorship Program for aspiring female designers at Charter High School for Architecture + Design (CHAD). Recently, she was also elected to serve on the Delaware Valley Green Building Council’s Board of Directors. Previously, she has served as a strategist for the City of Philadelphia, Mayor’s Office of Sustainability Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council, Anti-Hunger Subcommittee and supported the Community Design Collaborative, serving as the co-chair of its annual Bowling Ball fundraiser.

A registered architect since 2009, Tiffany is a member of the American Institute of Architects and the National Organization of Minority Architects. Over the course of her career, she has designed several large scale projects for national clients as well as projects for several smaller local clients and institutions. She has also devoted significant time as a mentor to students and has been an active participant in programs such as the ACE Mentor Program and Architecture in Education. Millner also actively participates in discourse about diversity and inclusion, moderating national symposiums for AIA diversity initiatives and publishing numerous articles on the topics of women and minorities in design. In 2011, she published the book 200something , an entertaining story of her personal triumphs and tribulations on her path to her professional validation. The book was published to increase awareness of the lack of diversity in the architecture field and the measures being taken to remedy the diversity issues facing the architecture profession today. After serving as project manager and architectural designer at JKRP Architects, LLC for 10 years, Millner founded the design consultancy AUX Collective, LLC, in 2010. Aside from continuing her architecture career, she currently devotes her energy as a consultant in various professional capacities including Affiliate Director for the ACE Mentor Program of Eastern PA (non‐profit direction), Architectural and Community Engagement consultant for various Philadelphia architectural firms, and as a graphic designer and photographer for various local artists & musicians ‐ with a focus on marketing and professional development.

JoAnn Magnatta, Senior Vice President of Facilities Design and Construction/Real Estate at Main Line Health, has served in Senior Healthcare positions for more than 25 years. She joined Main Line Health in 2001, and in her role she oversees the design, construction and maintenance of over 7 million square feet of real estate. She is also responsible for the acquisition, disposition, development and management of all real estate operations, maintenance and engineering services, system security operations and emergency preparedness.   Prior to joining Main Line Health, JoAnn served as Corporate Vice President of Real Estate Services and Facilities at Continuum Health System, a five hospital, Manhattan based Health System, Vice President, Facilities and Real Estate for Tenet Healthcare and Vice President of Operations for Allegheny Health. JoAnn is a member of several local, regional and national organizations, including Commercial Real Estate for Women (CREW), the Executive Forum of Women, the Board of Trustees of LaSalle University, the Dean’s Advisory Council for Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the Board of Trustees of the American Heart Association from 2012 to 2018.

Anne Klein is a 33-year veteran, and consistent top producer, of the commercial real estate industry. Based in southern New Jersey, Ms. Klein provides tenants and owners with a wide range of services including workplace strategy, labor pool analysis, state incentive shopping and acquisitions/dispositions. In addition to representing tenants in the U.S. and throughout the world, Ms. Klein has extensive experience representing local and institutional owners to market their properties, increasing the value through successful leasing and sales.

Prema Katari Gupta is a Senior Vice President of Navy Yard Planning and Development at PIDC, where she is responsible for planning, design, construction, infrastructure, transportation, facilities operations, and real estate development at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The Navy Yard is a dynamic and modern 1,200- acre business campus with more than 12,000 employees and 152 companies in over 7.5 million square feet of office, industrial, manufacturing, and research and development space occupied and in development, making it one of the most successful military base redevelopments in the country. From 2010-15, Prema ran and originated the Planning and Economic Development at University City District, where she developed some of the most innovative public space projects in the country. At UCD, Prema led all of the organization's work relating to the development and stewardship of public spaces (including The Porch at 30th Street Station as well as Philadelphia first parklets, pedestrian plazas, Market Street Bridge improvements, and the Porch swings), business attraction and retention, bicycle and pedestrian advocacy, transportation management, sustainability, market research, and urban planning. Before working at UCD, Prema was a Real Estate Manager in PIDC’s Real Estate Services group. She has also worked at Yale University and at the Urban Land Institute, where she authored a book on placemaking in mixed-use development. She is on the executive committee of ULI Philadelphia and is a trustee of the Philadelphia Award. Raised in Connecticut, Prema is a graduate of Bowdoin College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Design. She lives in West Mount Airy with her husband and two small children.

Anne Papageorge is the Senior Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services at the University of Pennsylvania. Anne joined the University in October 2006 and has responsibility for Planning; Design and Construction; Facilities Operations, Maintenance, and Utilities; and Real Estate Operations and Development. She oversees a department of approximately 1,000 staff, $200 M in operating expenses and a capital budget averaging approximately $350 M per year, the Penn Connects campus development plan, and the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee responsible for developing and implementing the Climate and Sustainability Action Plan for the university. Anne is a licensed landscape architect and was previously the Senior Vice President and Memorial Design Director for the Lower Manhattan Development Corp., managing the planning, design and construction of the nearly $1 billion project encompassing the World Trade Center Memorial, Memorial Museum, Visitor’s Center and related facilities. Prior to joining the LMDC in 2004, she worked in design and construction for the City of New York, where she served as first deputy commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction, managing a staff of 1,200 and overseeing 750 projects valued at $4.4 billion. Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry School of Landscape Architecture and an M.B.A. from the City University of New York Baruch College. She serves on the executive boards for Longwood Gardens, the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, the University City Science Center, and the Schuylkill River Development Corporation; she also serves on the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Executive Leadership Team.

​Jaime Flaherty is a Vice President and the CFO of U3 Advisors. With a background in real estate economics, Jaime joined U3 Advisors in 2010 and provides expertise in market, financial, fiscal, and strategic analysis. In addition to her work with clients, Jaime manages the internal operations of the firm. At U3 Advisors, Jaime has served as a project manager for a wide variety of assignments and clients, including off-campus real estate strategies, the formation of business improvement entities, predevelopment due diligence, tailoring organizational and financial structures, and campus master planning analysis. Her skills include detailed market research, complex financial modeling, and tailored quantitative analysis. Jaime currently manages real estate advisory services and the campus planning process for the University of the Sciences, including due diligence efforts for key market transactions. She serves as the lead for Lehigh University’s strategic neighborhood investment initiative, which includes creating implementable programs for key focus areas. Jaime is also working with a coalition of stakeholders in Trenton to form a new entity to focus on economic development for the downtown area. In addition, Jaime continues to advise on the University of Maryland and University of Washington. Prior to U3, Jaime worked in the Washington D.C. and New York offices of Economics Research Associates. Jaime has over nine years of experience working as an economic real estate consultant for all major land use categories, including residential, retail, hotel, office, institutional, and research. Jaime received undergraduate degrees in business and psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. She has a Masters in City Planning, as well as a Certificate in Real Estate Development, from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an active member of the Urban Land Institute.

Sarah Wu is the Deputy Director for Planning in the City of Philadelphia Office of Sustainability. Sarah manages the City of Philadelphia’s climate adaptation planning and oversaw the 2016 update of the City’s sustainability plan, Greenworks: A Vision for a Sustainable Philadelphia. She also co-chairs the Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council, which facilitates the development of policies that improve Philadelphians’ access to food that is healthy, affordable, sustainable, and fair. Prior to joining the Office of Sustainability, Sarah helped implement Opportunity NYC, an incentive program working to improve the health, employment, and education of New Yorkers in poverty, and researched national environmental policies at the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, DC. Sarah holds an undergraduate degree from Williams College and a Masters in Urban Planning from New York University.

Katie Bartolotta brings broad policy, campaign, and coalition building experience to her work as policy and program manager at Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC.) In this role, Katie leads the organization’s local, state, and federal policy and advocacy efforts. In addition, she coordinates DVGBC's strategic initiatives including the Philadelphia 2030 District and the Delaware Pathways to Green Schools Program. Katie holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Rochester.

Missy Quinn joined C&W in 1988 and is currently the Director of Corporate Occupier and Investor Services (CIS) in Philadelphia for Cushman & Wakefield of Pennsylvania, Inc. Ms. Quinn directs the management and operation of a portfolio consisting of approximately 10 million square feet of office, retail and industrial properties throughout the Delaware Valley, Central Pennsylvania and South Jersey. Her responsibilities include asset management, budget formulation and analysis, cost control, lease administration and tenant construction. As a 25-year veteran of commercial real estate, Ms. Quinn has experience in various aspects of commercial, industrial, and retail real estate including the development and implementation of policies and procedures for property management and leasing, business and marketing plan development, contract negotiation, project management, feasibility studies and asset valuation. Ms. Quinn is a graduate of Holy Family College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management and Marketing. She is an active member of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) and currently serves as an Officer of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for BOMA Philadelphia. Ms. Quinn holds an RPA designation through Building Owners and Managers Institute (BOMI) as well as a LEED Green Association through the UGBI and is also a member of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC). Additionally, she is a member of the Drexel University Property Management Industry Advisory Board.

Anne Fadullon is the Director of Planning and Development for the City of Philadelphia. She also chairs the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority board. Her cabinet-level department has a broad purview. It plans the City’s land use, promotes affordable housing, preserves historic resources, and supports public art. It assists for-profit and nonprofit developers as they move their projects through the approval process. The Department helps develop and implement the City’s zoning code. Most importantly, it engages Philadelphia’s residents. The Department’s mission is to promote well-planned neighborhoods with affordable housing options, protected historic resources and public art. Anne has 30 years of development experience in both the private and public sectors. She has developed affordable, mixed-income, market-rate and mixed-use projects. While in the private sector she was president of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia. Anne has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and economics from Lehigh University. She has a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania. When not promoting strong communities, Anne is looking for new places to kayak or wandering through the woods.

Cathy began her career at Savills Studley in 2006 after representing landlords in suburban Philadelphia for more than 20 years. Her knowledge of property operations and landlord representation allows her to maximize her clients' leverage in the leasing process. Prior to joining the firm, Cathy was senior vice president at Fox Realty Co. Her responsibilities included the monitoring of a $3/4 billion portfolio consisting of two million square feet of institutional grade Class A commercial office space. She was directly responsible for leasing, operations and financial performance of properties under management and the implementation of strategies to add to or preserve the value of the real estate investments. The most significant projects include: the sale of 401 City Avenue, PA for a 2001 record breaking price of $250 per square foot, the sale of 3025 Chemical Road, PA for a 2003 record breaking price of $275 per square foot and the 2006 sale of Chesterbrook Corporate Center for $1/4 billion. ACTIVITIES & ACHIEVEMENTS Cathy is a past president of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Philadelphia, having served every elective office in the association and is also a BOMA Fellow. She served on the executive committee of BOMA International from June 2008 to June 2010. She served as chair of the BOMA Middle Atlantic Region from 2008 to 2010 and vice chair of Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania for four years. Cathy serves as chair of the property committee of Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania. She is past member of the City Avenue Special Services District and serves on the board of directors of Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania. EDUCATION Cathy received a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Dallas, Texas and an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts, Public Administration from Stephen F. Austin University, Texas.

Councilwoman Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez is a veteran activist with over 30 years of service to the City of Philadelphia, currently serving a third four-year term on Philadelphia City Council. Maria has advocated tirelessly for creating and preserving family-sustaining jobs, investing in a trained and educated workforce, reducing blight and transforming vacant land, keeping families in their homes, mandating ethics and transparency in government, revitalizing neighborhood economies, reforming unsafe demolition practices, and securing the rights of women, families, and workers across the City. Maria made history in November of 2007 when she rallied grassroots support and nearly 80% of the vote towards becoming the first Latina elected to a district seat in City Council. Maria quickly became a rising star for her hard work and commitment to government reform. Her “Freshman 15” reforms, with colleagues Bill Green and Curtis Jones, Jr., improved transparency, modernized our municipal government, and saved the City over $60 million annually. In 2008, Maria was named “Best of Philly” new Councilperson and among the City’s future women leaders to watch by the Philadelphia Daily News. In 2009, Philadelphia Magazine named Maria one of the “Most Influential 50” in the City of Philadelphia. During her most recent term, Maria’s legislative achievements included the historic creation of a Philadelphia Land Bank, which vests strategic neighborhood revitalization in a single, transparent agency that empowers residents, small businesses, community groups, non-profits, and developers across the City to transform and re-purpose vacant and blighted land. Maria also led historic business tax reform to make Philadelphia’s manufacturing industry competitive again in the global marketplace by reducing tax liability for local businesses by nearly 50%, while ensuring that companies headquartered outside the City pay their fair share. Maria fought to keep Philadelphians in their homes by passing tax foreclosure reform, AVI assistance for vulnerable homeowners, a Longtime Owner-Occupant Program (LOOP), a strong Homestead exemption, and a property tax deferral program. Maria passed landmark water affordability legislation to ensure that all Philadelphians can access clean and affordable running water, by tethering repayment to ability to pay. And Maria fought tirelessly for demolition reform, introducing thorough legislation that requires demolition projects submit and abide by a comprehensive safety plan. In recognition of Maria’s expertise, Mayor Nutter appointed her to serve on a Special Investigating Committee on Demolitions Practices, a Blue Ribbon Commission of national experts on demolition and building safety standards, and the Police Oversight Committee. Maria currently serves City Council as Chair of the Committees of Appropriations; Chair of the Committee on Licenses and Inspections; Vice Chair of the Committee on Streets and Services; and Vice Chair of the Committee on Public Health and Human Services. Maria also serves as a member of the following committees: Rules; Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs; Education; Labor and Civil Service; and Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless. Prior to serving on City Council, Maria served as the Regional Director for the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration (PRFAA), serving Pennsylvania and Delaware. At PRFAA, Maria mounted a historic, seven-city voter registration and Get-Out-the-Vote (GOTV) campaign registering over 32,000 new voters and produced an estimated increase of 35% of the Latino turnout in the campaign’s targeted areas. Maria is a founding member of the Pennsylvania Statewide Latino Coalition and served as its first Co-Chair of the Board of Directors. From June 1996 to June 2000, Maria served as the first female and youngest Executive Director of ASPIRA, the largest Latino educational institution in Pennsylvania. Maria’s accomplishments at ASPIRA included the creation of the first bilingual charter school in Pennsylvania (Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community Charter School), and the development of a multi-million dollar school and administrative office building in her neighborhood of Hunting Park. From 1988 through 1996, Maria served in several city government positions including Deputy Commissioner of Elections and Legislative Assistant in City Council. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Women’s Campaign Fund, a statewide political action committee working to elect progressive women to the State Legislature. Maria grew up in the Hunting Park section of the City and now resides in the eastern North Philadelphia neighborhood of Norris Square. She proudly represents both neighborhoods. Maria is married to Tomas Sanchez, JD. Maria and Tomas have two sons, Edgar and Tomasito, and are grandparents to Jace Antonio.

Lauren Gilchrist is the Executive Vice President and Market Leader of the Greater Philadelphia Region. Gilchrist oversees Newmark Real Estate’s (Newmark’s) full suite of service offerings, managing strategic planning, revenue growth and profitability, recruitment and business development in the company’s Philadelphia, Wayne, Southern New Jersey and Delaware offices. Based in the Philadelphia CBD office, Gilchrist holds appointments to the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Facilities Management Corporation/Philadelphia Gas Works, Philadelphia Orchestra, Old City Community Fund, M&T Bank Advisory Board and the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of NAIOP—where she served as Chapter President from 2019 to 2020. In addition, Gilchrist has been recognized by the Philadelphia Business Journal as a 40 Under 40 honoree and a Woman of Distinction, and a Philly Power Woman by Bisnow. Prior to joining Newmark, Gilchrist was the Managing Director of Research at Longfellow Real Estate Partners, where she directed research strategy, content creation and thought leadership, and provided market research to drive project underwriting and execution. Previously, Gilchrist also held roles as Senior Vice President of Research at JLL, Manager of Research & Analysis at the Center City District and Program Manager at the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness.

Dr. Valerie Arkoosh was unanimously elected as Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on November 17, 2016 succeeding former Commission Chair Josh Shapiro. First appointed to fill a vacancy on the Commission in January 2015, Arkoosh won election to a full four-year term in November 2015 and served as Commission Vice Chair until her election as Chair. Arkoosh is a longtime resident of Montgomery County who has been engaged in public health policy development across all levels of government during her impressive career.  She is a nationally- recognized public health policy expert. Until recently, she was Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. She sought the Democratic nomination in 2014 for the 13th Congressional District seat. Arkoosh is a graduate of the University Of Nebraska College Of Medicine and has a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She performed her residency at Jefferson Medical College in Anesthesiology with a special focus on Obstetrics.  She has an undergraduate degree in economics from Northwestern University. Her strong educational background propelled her into national prominence, and has given her a unique blend of public health, leadership, and medical expertise. Upon obtaining her Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins in 2007, she became deeply engaged in the national effort to achieve comprehensive health care reform. She led a national non-profit organization of physicians, who, putting their patients before profits, joined a broad-based nation-wide coalition for reform.  During this time, she developed policy and legislative strategy, and promoted public engagement in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and throughout the country. While much of her career has been in medicine and public health, Arkoosh has significant experience in dealing with many of the same challenges governments face.  She has significant leadership experience managing complex organizations during times of fiscal challenge.   Arkoosh served for five years as Chair of Anesthesiology at the Drexel University College of Medicine where she successfully drew upon her undergraduate training in economics to restore her department to fiscal solvency following the Allegheny University bankruptcy.  During this challenging time, she also served as Interim Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and was actively involved in the financial oversight of the medical school clinical practice plan. Arkoosh was an important and active member of the Shapiro-Richards transition team in 2011 serving as co-chair of the Health and Human Services Subcommittee.  This effort gave her not only a working knowledge of how county government functioned when this administration came into office, but it also allowed her to play an important role in helping to craft the transformative changes that were subsequently made.  Later, Arkoosh served as chair of the Montgomery County Board of Health, until she resigned to run for Congress. Arkoosh lives in Springfield Township with her husband, Jeff Harbison, and their three children.

Marcy is a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP, a national law firm with 22 offices and 750 attorneys. An experienced transactional attorney with more than 30 years of experience in real estate and corporate finance, Marcy uses her extensive in-house and law firm background to solve her client’s complex issues and challenges and implement business and practical-minded strategies with respect to real estate acquisitions, dispositions and the financing and capitalization thereof. Marcy represents national and local developers and family offices, along with private equity and institutional investors and funds in complex real estate transactions involving diverse capital sources, including tax credits, preferred equity, mezzanine and private and public institutional debt. Marcy advises her clients on the formation, structure, strategic alliance and investment in and with, joint ventures and portfolio companies, as well as subsequent exit strategies and related acquisition and sale transactions. She has advised clients on more than $8 billion in debt financings and equity raises for multi-family apartments; residential communities; industrial facilities; urban entertainment centers; educational facilities; retail malls; hospitals; mixed-use projects; and resorts and hotels. In June 2016, Marcy was included among the Top 25 Women to Watch in Real Estate, Construction and Development by the Philadelphia Business Journal.